Nitish, Bhagwat attend religious congregation in Bihar

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today attended an international religious congregation in Bihar's Bhojpur district which left tongues wagging.
But the two did not share dais on the concluding day's function of the five-day Shri Ramanujacharya Shahshtrabdi Mahayajna at Chandwa village, about 5 km from here and 60 km from Patna.
Chandwa is the native village of Dalit icon Babu Jagjivan Ram.
Kumar attended the function in the forenoon while Bhagwat went there later in the afternoon.
This is the first time that Kumar and Bhagwat made it to a common event after the JD(U) and the BJP joined hands in July to form a government in Bihar.

The mahayajna, which was hosted by Lakshmi Prapanna Jiyar Swami, saw the congregation of a large number of devotees including many from the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Nepal and Malaysia.

Opposition RJD used the event to attack Kumar and reminded him of his past comment of making the country 'Sangh-mukt'.
RJD spokesman and MLA Akhtar-ul-Islam Sahin hit out at Kumar saying, "His true face has come before the public. Its enough to prove that Kumar used Tejaswi Yadav as an excuse to join hands with BJP and RSS."
Kumar's party JD(U) said it was a purely social and religious event and politics should not be seen in it.

Bihar JD(U) chief Basistha Narayan Singh said the mahayajna was a purely religious congregation of faithful from worldover and no politics should be seen in the chief minister going there.
Though the event drew political comments, both Kumar and Bhagwat in their addresses limited themselves to speaking about the religious and social wellbeing of humankind.
Addressing the function, Kumar hailed the life and preachings of Swami Ramanujcharya, a Tamil Nadu born Hindu theologian, philosopher and an important exponent of Vaishnavism.
He used the occasion to seek the blessings of holy men at the congregation for the success of the liquor ban in the state and for the campaign launched by the state government against child marriage and dowry on Gandhi Jayanti.

Kumar also sought their blessings for the campaign against social evils.
"The message going out from this platform will be an important step in the fight against child marriage and dowry," he said.
"Along with physical development like construction of roads, bridges, education and health, working for social reform is equally significant," he added.
State Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, Industries Minister Jay Kumar Singh and state JD(U) chief and MP Singh also spoke on the occasion.
Bhagwat in his address dwelt on building of moral character and swachata (cleanliness) and emphasised on ending discrimination on the basis of caste.

"Development of those keeping patience even in adverse condition is guaranteed," he said.
"By keeping the house clean and areas near it will ultimately lead to the welfare of world," he said.
Union minister Ravishankar Prasad, who too spoke at the function, exuded confidence that the Ram temple would be built at Ayodhya.
"I have been lawyer of Ram Lalla for long and on the basis of a lot of documentary evidences in favour of the Ram temple at Ayodhya I am sure of victory in Supreme Court (where the case related to Ayodhya dispute is in progress). A temple of Lord Rama would definitely come up there," he said, drawing loud applause from the gathering.